Avignon Grand Hotel

The Grand Hotel, at 9 Princes Street, was the leading hotel of Auckland, New Zealand, from 1889 until 1966. With its vaulted ceilings, ornate mantlepieces, red carpet and marble statuary, the Grand Hotel was a plush and social rendezvous from its opening.

The Grand Hotel is a Victorian hotel in Brighton on the south coast of England. It is located on Kings Road, the main carriageway along the seafront; one of several major hotels along this road.

Avignon (; Provencal: Avinhon in classical norm or Avignoun in Mistralian norm) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in southeastern France.

A city on the Rhone River in southeastern France; pop. 89,440. From 1309 until 1377, it was the residence of the popes during their exile from Rome and was papal property until the French Revolution

a town in southeastern France on the Rhone River; the seat of the papacy from 1309 to 1378 and the residence of antipopes during the Great Schism

Nimes, Valence, Viviers, Montpellier.

Day 199: En Route

Hey. That's a nice picture of a train going by at 200 MILES PER HOUR. But wait? You say it was taken from a train that was ALSO GOING 200 MILES PER HOUR!?!?! THAT's LIKE A 400 MILE PER HOUR MOTION BLUR STEVE! I know, dear viewer. That's exactly what this is. And such is the magic of TGV trains.

So today was nice. We set out from Lacoste after lunch, and bussed to the Avignon TGV station where we trained our way to PARIS, where we will spend the entire week. I AM SO EXCITED. Let me tell you how the rest of the night went.

We checked into our hotel (the Hotel Home Latin, in the Latin district of Paris) Then all took off in a big group (about 30 of us) to go to Le Grand Rex, where we found out the movie (HP7.2) was only in french, with no subtitles whatsoever. Most of the group headed out to dinner saddened, but Kelsey, Laurel, Alice, Me, and a few others stuck around to see it anyway. Turned out to actually be a very entertaining movie, and I felt we could appreciate it even more without the dialogue in some senses, while of course we missed a lot of the detail brought by dialogue. Oh well, it works out. After the movie we slowly and carefully made our way back across paris (through some kinda sketchy parts) to the hotel at 1 AM. We made it back alive, and totally stoked for the rest of our week in the city of love. Lots more to come.

Oh. One more thing to add: late that night hunter and I thought of grabbing a bike and going for a ride, but we figured out you had to buy tickets from a shop, all of which were closed. he promptly went to bed. I ended up scoping out the online site and swung a week's pass for 8 euro. SO EXCITED. I ran outside to the bike posts just a block down the street from our hotel, grabbed my first ever bike in Paris, and biked my way all the way to the Tour de Eiffel! SO EXCITED. By the time I got there around 2 it had been off for an hour (everything in paris turns off/closes at 1) and took a few cell phone pictures which I later posted on my blog. What an excellent night it was. Looking forward to returning to the tour de eiffel VERY soon :) HUZZAH for paris!

Auberge de Cassagne

On the outskirts of the medieval city of Avignon, the Auberge de Cassagne occupies a grand chateau dating back to 1850.This plus its proximity to some of the worlds most respected vineyards is reason enough for a visit, but the Auberges unbeatable combination of top-quality service and bucolic charm is what places it above all other hotels in the area.Once over the threshold, guests are plunged into a warm and harmonious atmosphere. A gate in a high wall leads to the garden, where plane trees shade the restaurant terrace and paths wind through greenery and flowers to the pool. The relaxed feeling continues into the bedrooms, all of which feature regional antiques and intimate porches with pool or garden views. Their fresh Provencal prints remind you that you are in the heart of a region famous for some of the most beautiful fabrics since the 18th century.Last but certainly not least, the Auberge owes its culinary reputation to head chef Philippe Boucher, who has presided over the kitchen since 1983. Gourmets hotel guests and locals alike keep coming back for a taste of his traditional yet innovative cuisine, which makes the most of the wonderful local produce.